Dr. D. Scharie Tavcer

Failure to Address Safety with the Absence of Consent Education

September 25, 2026

Sexual Violence at Canadian Post-secondary Institutions Canadian post-secondary institutions (PSIs) try to address sexual violence through policies and processes. Still, as many as 33% of Canadian female university students report being assaulted (Canadian Federation of Students Ontario, 2015; DeKeseredy et al., 1993; Newton-Taylor et al., 1998; Quinlan, 2017). Sexual violence is one of the most underreported crimes in Canada and the United States. The rate for reporting to police has not changed in over 30 years. (Benoit et

When Law Enforcers Break the Law

September 21, 2026

Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees that every individual is equal before and under the law. This principle becomes particularly curious when those responsible for enforcing the law are themselves convicted of crimes, and the consequences are perceived as less severe than those for civilians. In such situations, questions of accountability, transparency, and equality before the law become central. This study examined the disciplinary outcomes for sworn police officers in the province

Tik Tok Study

April 22, 2025

The TikTok Study is a research project focused on the experiences of survivors who have chosen to name the person who harmed them using social media publicly. We want to understand what influenced their decision, as well as the emotional and personal impacts of naming them and sharing their story. Exploring the intersectional complexities when using social media to identify perpetrators of gender-based violence (The Tik Tok Study). This study has received ethics approval from

Women and the Criminal Justice System: A Canadian Perspective, 3rd Ed.

May 2, 2023

A 4th edition is forthcoming in 2028. Published by Emond, this is the only text that addresses the criminal justice issues that surround criminalised women, victimised women, and women workers. Women and the Criminal Justice System: A Canadian Perspective is national in scope, and this resource features in-depth case studies focused on important cases in Canadian criminal justice, including a new chapter on Black and racialised women and the criminal justice system with contributions from BIPOC

Sexual Violence Policies and Sexual Consent Education at Canadian PSIs

March 20, 2023

D. Scharie Tavcer and Vicky Dobkins. This book published by Routledge, is the culmination of three years of research into sexual violence policies and sexual consent education at post-secondary institutions across Canada. The prevalence of sexual violence has not changed in more than 30 years, and its reporting to police or school authorities has only waxed and waned over those years. In response, this book asks what can be done differently to reduce the number

Consent 101

March 20, 2023

To get the book. We have the full version of the module and this shortened Canadian Consent 101 module. Click this link to be redirected. The Consent 101 online module is one outcome of my three-year research project on sexual consent education at post-secondary institutions across Canada. The prevalence of sexual violence has not changed in more than 30 years, and its reporting to police or school authorities has only waxed and waned over those years. I

Canadian Criminal Law and the Criminal Code

February 15, 2023

Within Canadian criminal law there is reform including how the system approaches its colonial foundations. When teaching this material, I see how imperative it is that educators and scholars must also evolve in the ways in which we think about and teach criminal law. We need to include various learning modalities, pedagogies, and voices, especially if we want to continue to engage the students of today, but especially if we want to effect change. Oxford

“Good People with Good Intentions”: Deconstructing a Post-Secondary Institution’s Sexual Violence Policy Construction

May 2, 2022

New research by Dr. Irene Shankar and Dr. D. Scharie Tavcer finds that despite members’ intentions, the committees that construct post-secondary institutions’ sexual violence policies lack essential expertise and produce flawed results. READ the article published with the Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy

Courage to Act: Sexual Consent Education at Canadian PSIs

March 4, 2021

Dr. Tavcer asks what can be done differently to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence on campus, especially in the face of dwindling budgets and lack of access to programs and services. She shares details about her study on sexual consent education across Canada and the online consent education module she’s developed. Read the full write up here: https://www.couragetoact.ca/blog/sexualconsenteducation

2020 Recipient of the Faculty of Arts Outstanding Teacher

February 12, 2020

The goal of the Faculty of Arts Outstanding Teacher Award is to recognize a full-time faculty member who has done exemplary pedagogical work in the previous academic year. Each year, the Faculty of Arts seeks to recognize outstanding teachers who work to be innovative in their pedagogical initiatives that support student learning in and/or out of the classroom.

2019 MacEwan University Distinguished Alumni

November 29, 2019

The annual Distinguished Alumni Awards celebrate accomplishments in areas such as community development, lifelong learning, and business innovation. The awards honour an alum of MacEwan University (formerly Grant MacEwan College) who speaks at the convocation ceremony (skip to 1:57:37). In 2019, I was honored as the recipient and said a few words at the convocation ceremony in June 2019. Scharie graduated in 1992 from the Law Enforcement and Security Program, which was the springboard to

Faculty of Arts Outstanding Service Award 2018

October 15, 2018

The Outstanding Service Award is designed to recognize an individual (faculty or administrative staff), whose contributions to service in the previous academic year are considered exemplary, such as in terms of efficiency, impact and/or innovation. Primarily as a result of my preparation, development, and implementation of the CRJS Field School to Rankin Inlet, Nunavut many activities and events that stem from it contributed to me being the award recipient for 2018 in recognition of my